@Aere Thank you for the detailed reply about developing. You provided some great insight for those, like me, that are interested in exploring this idea. Time availability is for me is the issue, like you, I am a bit of an old timer being 27 years into my career---the thought of switching career paths would be unpleasant. This pursuit would be purely a hobbyist (and intellectually enjoyable) venture.
Sincerely, David On Sun, Dec 15, 2013 at 9:41 PM, Israel <israeld...@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks!! That was very inspiring! It is good to nudge people like me > to continue on learning how to do it. I think it was very good advice > to take some working applications you wrote and convert them into other > languages, that is a great idea! > > As a side note, are any of you applications ones available in the > repos? If not you should consider submitting them, if it wouldn't take > too much work to make it compatible with Linux (if it isn't already) > > On 12/15/2013 09:26 PM, Aere Greenway wrote: > > On 12/15/2013 06:27 PM, Israel wrote: > >> There is no starting place too small or big, I myself am not really a > >> developer yet, either... I am in the process of learning C++ and > >> furthering my web dev skills (HTML,CSS,JavaScript), so learning to > >> program well is the definite place to start. > >> Getting involved in small projects is a good way to begin. > >> The Ubuntu SDK is pretty easy as a place to start making function > >> apps with nice interfaces with only needing to know some JavaScript. > >> I forwarded your message to the list, as I thought it was for the > >> list(the subject), but it may have been a personal message... sorry > >> if I shouldn't have forwarded it... I didn't realize it until after I > >> forwarded it.. > >> > > All: > > > > As a developer, I don't presume to be able to prescribe a way you can > > get into the business successfully. But I can tell you what I did, > > which was successful for me, in my case. > > > > I am probably more of an old-timer than most of you. > > > > I went to college in the 60's, and got a job at Univac (the original > > company name). I 'rode the wave' of mainframe internal software, > > later specializing in communications software. > > > > But all of that was proprietary software (and microcode), and mostly > > in assembly language. > > > > So when they started laying-off people, I had over 32 years experience > > in software development, but not in modern languages, and without > > recent, relevant, college training. > > > > Yet I did get a job as a Java developer, writing interfaces between > > hospital computer systems. > > > > Here's how I did it. > > > > In my last years at Unisys, seeing the 'writing on the wall', I > > learned (on my own, on my home computer) C++. > > > > Being a computer hobbyist, I had written various video games (and AI > > programs) in C and assembly language, on my home computer. > > > > So I had complex, working applications, written in C. C++ is not that > > big of a jump from C, so I converted several of those applications to > > C++. I even developed a methodology for converting C programs to C++. > > > > Though being experienced in C++ was useful, it wasn't enough to get a > > job. In my job application experience, C++ seemed to be getting > > less-important. > > > > Fortunately, other modern programming languages (JavaScript, Java, and > > C#) are not really all that different from C++. In fact, they are so > > similar that you can get confused as to which language you are using, > > and how you do similar things in the different languages. > > > > So I took those same programs I converted from C to C++, and converted > > them to JavaScript, Java, and C#. > > > > By converting working programs, very little time was involved in > > fixing logic-errors. Most of the debugging was in errors relating to > > the differences in the programming-languages used. So my time was > > efficiently used in learning the details of each programming language. > > > > When I finally had four complex applications developed in each of the > > languages, employers started to be interested in my resume. Of > > course, my 32 years of experience was useful as well (but my lack of > > recent college training was a negative too). > > > > Those applications I developed, I could demonstrate as evidence of my > > work, and my abilities. The context-sensitive help functionality > > seemed to impress them most. > > > > I eventually got a job as a developer. > > > > I am retired now, and am still doing software development. This time, > > something nearer to my passion, with which I think to change the world > > (lofty goals). We shall see. One of my beta-testers thinks it will. > > > > Anyway, good luck on your goals. Unfortunately, luck always seems to > > be involved as well. > > > > I hope this lengthy e-mail will prove to be useful advice to someone. > > > > > -- > Regards > > > -- > Lubuntu-users mailing list > Lubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com > Modify settings or unsubscribe at: > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/lubuntu-users >
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